Monday, January 07, 2013

More stuff from Island Cafe


So I'm back here again, hiding in air conditioning from the heat of the sweltering mid day sun, getting lunch and sipping my calamansi crush.


The chicken satay that they served was unfortunately very forgettable. The application of the marinade, quality of meat and expertise of the grill left quite a bit to be desired and it wasn't even close to the better ones that one can get with not too much difficulty elsewhere. In spite of the generous amounts of crushed peanuts in the sauce, it was concocted to be too watery for it to come together as a good dip. What's the point of having so much peanut when the satay can barely hold the watery satay sauce eh? And that fancy little funnel shaped bowl tends to enjoy making a sport of toppling itself over. A martini glass would have been more stable.

So atas food isn't always better after all.


And yes, there was chicken rice.

They serve a pretty pricey chicken rice here. It wasn't Chatterbox expensive but if most people were to be asked, it was expensive for chicken rice. That being said, I thought it was pretty well done on a non mind blowing scale. The rice was light, had just enough fragrance, was moist enough yet grainy. The flavours were present yet almost subtle. It was almost like my favourite spot elsewhere. And mind you, those sliced chicken thigh were served in a deliciously savoury hot broth. Or am I suppose to call that a consommé? Not just the usual rustic and regular light soya sauce and sesame oil drizzle.

Did I like the chilli? Yeah, that wasn't too bad too if I might say. It packed some heat and was generous with the limes. The accompanying dark soy sauce was especially aromatic.


The find of the day for us in Island Cafe was their prawn noodles. It came with a large grilled crunchy prawn apart from the "dwarfed over" boiled ones that came in the broth of the noodles; which by the way, was almost sublime. It was a very enjoyable ratio of part savoury, part crustacean-y and part sweetness that didn't taste like it was artificially enhanced.

Yes, it would be no further from the truth that one could actually have something similar for a fifth of what they charged at this place. But I wouldn't get a boiled chicken thigh in consommé and prawn kuey teow with a large grilled prawn. For a fifth of the price, I also wouldn't be sipping my iced calamansi crush in the comfort of air conditioning as well. Sometimes, I want to get a bit more comfortable while I'm eating too.

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